Credit: Mark Rampolla

Why This CEO Is Not Taking A Salary For His Latest Company

Credit: Mark Rampolla

After his success with Zico coconut water, Mark Rampolla is saying no to a salary for now.

Mark Rampolla started Zico coconut water in 2004.  In 2013, it was acquired by Coca-Cola — a notable success for the health food market. This year, he’s taking on the role of CEO for another food brand, LA-based Beanfields Snacks. However, he does not want a salary.

Rampolla does have interest in the company, though, as an investor.

But Rampolla is out to make a bigger statement, foregoing compensation to help the company scale: “Sometimes we just need to be rational and think about what we can all bring to the table to make a company rock. Once Beanfields is rocking, I’ll step aside and look at our companies in our portfolio, or new investments, and think about implementing similar, non-traditional models.”

Rampolla rose to fame after building Zico, perhaps one of the first coconut water companies to have national brand recognition; he knows the food market, he says, and wants more health-oriented food companies to rise. “The goal here is to get Beanfields to rival Doritos.”

Read the full story at Forbes.com

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